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Incorrect or ambiguous citations can lead to ideas being distorted in subsequent publications via a process akin to Chinese Whispers, the process whereby a phrase or idea becomes distorted as it is passed from person to person. The propagation of incorrect ideas can have dangerous consequences for science as some ideas may be unfairly favoured because of the apparent supporting literature. Here we trace a specific example-the impacts of black rats Rattus rattus on Australian islands-and demonstrate how ambiguous or incorrect citations may lead to the development of distorted evidence for the mechanism behind rat impacts. This distortion has the potential to incorrectly influence conservation action, to overlook the need for further work or to induce action that is not necessarily justified. We highlight that authors, editors and publishers need to be vigilant with citation practices to ensure accuracy in reporting of scientific outcomes and we propose an approach to help ensure accuracy in citations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foreshore of Sydney Harbour includes extensive areas of protected native bushland that are an iconic and world-renowned feature of the Sydney landscape. Despite this vegetative cover, however, native small mammals are uncommon and the bushland is dominated by introduced Black Rats Rattus rattus. In particular, the Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes is absent yet remains abundant in comparable habitats to the north and south of Sydney; the last record of the Bush Rat near Sydney Harbour is from 1901. In this paper we explore the idea that the arrival and spread of bubonic plague in the port City of Sydney between 1900 and 1910 was a primary cause of the extirpation of Bush Rats around the harbour foreshore. The plague killed 181 people in Sydney during three major outbreaks, and also killed hundreds of thousands of rats and 52 native Australian mammals in the Moore Park Zoo. The ensuing hysteria and fear of plague resulted in a determined campaign to rid Sydney of rats, including the introduction of a rat bounty. This campaign led to the culling of a further 100,000 rats, both native and introduced, including "bush rats". We suggest that Bush Rats were wiped out from the harbour foreshore by the direct effects of the plague and the indirect effects arising from rat persecution to prevent plague, making the arrival of bubonic plague in the 1900s a disaster for Sydney's foreshore wildlife. If this hypothesis is correct, then future attempts to restore Bush Rats to the harbour foreshore will not be hampered by the cause of their absence, as Australia is currently free from plague. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground baiting was carried out in an operational pest control program between 1993 and 1995 aimed at eradicating Black rats Rattus rattus from Bowen Island in Jervis Bay. Rattus rattus was abundant across most of the Island and given their propensity to prey on ground nesting sea birds, were identified as a threat to Shearwaters (Puffinus spp.) in the Bowen Island Management Plan 1988. Small mammal trapping and spotlighting surveys were carried out prior to baiting in 1993 to assess the non-target species at risk of poisoning. No native mammal species were captured, although 97 R. rattus were trapped over 353 trap nights and two were spotlighted on two survey nights. Twenty three baiting transects spaced 50 metres apart in dense vegetation were hand cut across the Island and bait stations (n=228) were placed every 50 metres along each transect. An additional 50 bait stations were placed on rock platforms for the last two of twelve baiting events.Two rodenticides were used to avoid bait shyness (Brodificoum and Bromadiolone). Chew sticks were deployed on two occasions, in 1996 and 2002, to detect R rattus presence and no sign of R rattus were recorded. In 2004, trapping and spotlighting surveys were carried out to determine the success of the control program and determine if native species had responded to R rattus control.There was still no sign of native ground dwelling mammals.The lack of gnawing on the chew sticks supported our conclusion that R rattus have been eradicated from Bowen Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]